Responsive Web Design

As more web traffic moves away from traditional desktop browsing, the more important it becomes to start optimizing your web business for mobile screens. You need responsive web design.

And we’ve got you covered.

What is a responsive website?

‘Responsive web design’ is a way of designing a site so it stretches, shrinks, and adjusts to fit different screens.

Want to see how it works? Check this out.

If you’re viewing this page on desktop, click the “maximize” button on your browser window so that the site no longer takes up the full screen. (The “maximize button is the square-looking one between the “minimize” and “close” buttons.) Now, click and drag the right side of the window, making the page skinnier. See how the website changes? This is responsive design.

Web designers create a special code, called a media query, that overrides the base code whenever the window reaches a certain width. Without media queries, websites don’t know when to adjust to other screens, and they end up looking weird on mobile devices: images are too big, and you have to scroll forever to read text. This is the most basic and easiest form of responsive web design.

But it isn’t the one. In 2015, Google announced Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP), an open-source development platform that specializes in making fast, easy-to-use websites and ads for mobile screens. In the last couple years, the platform has gained a lot of support; WordPress, for example, has added AMP to their standard blog platform. Though making an AMP site is a little more work on the back-end, the benefits are pretty incredible. Your mobile site will load more quickly, and you’ll rank higher in Google Search.

How can a responsive website benefit my business?

Your website can’t afford to look bad on mobile screens. Over 70% of all internet traffic is mobile–and that number jumps to nearly 80% for local businesses. A poorly optimized mobile site will have less traffic and a higher bounce rate on average, causing your organic Search ranking to plummet.

A well-done mobile page, on the other hand, can quicken your load speed, lower your bounce rate, and boost your position in search engines. And a better-optimized touch interface will make it easier to reel in more sales and appointments.

There’s really no downside to responsive web design. All you have to do is build it.

Where do I start?

If your website uses WordPress, it might already be optimized. To check, just type in your address on your phone. If your mobile site fits the screen well, you’re probably good to go.

But beware–WordPress’s de facto AMP design is pretty ugly. If you have any intention of growing your mobile business, you need to get rid of it as soon as possible.

That’s where we come in.

At Whiteboard, we don’t just build custom WordPress themes; we build mobile pages, too. Partner with us, and let’s talk about optimizing your site for all screens.